Mail receiving and delivering device



April 3, 1928. 1,664,819

, H. J; HlLL.

MAIL RECEIVING AND DELIVERING DEVICE Filed May 6. 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 'April 3, 1928. 1,664,819"

H. J. HILL MAIL RECEIVING AND DELIVERING DEVICE Filed May 6. 1926 s sheet -sheet. 2

. INVENTOR April3, 192s. 1,664,819

I H. J. HILL MAIL RECEIVING AND DELIVERING DEVICE Filed May 6. 1926 3-Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Patented Apr. 3, 19281.

UNITED STATES" HENRY J; 131111., or JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

MAIL REEIVING AND DELIVERING DEVICE;

Application filed May 6,

This invention relates to mail receiving and delivery appliances and devices for railway trains and has for its object to provide a novel and improved means for engag ing and disengaging a mail bag or pouch supporting element whereby the exchange of mail between a moving train and a sta tion may be effected. 7

one of the objects of myinvention is to provide improvements in mail delivery and receiving devices in that'elass ofapparatus as set forth in the United States patent granted to me on November 9, 1909, No. 939,688 wherein the'delivery and receiving 15 devices of the railway car may be moved to either side thereof to engage the mail bag orpoueh either on the left or righthand side of the track.

.A further object of my invention is to provide a novel and improved delivery and receiving apparatus for railway cars and stations wherein the interchange of mail bags and pouches may take place while the said oa'r passes in e ther CllIQCtlOIl or on eithersid'e of the railway bed and Without attention on the part of the employees of the car orstation. I i

To enable others skilled in the art to more fully understand and appreciate my invenao tion that they may embody the same inthe' va-rious modifications of structureand relation of parts contemplated, drawings depicting a preferred form of the invention have been annexed heretov as illustrating one embodiinent; thereof and in which drawings Fig.1 is a plampartly broken away showing the interior of a car body and the relation of a mail receiving and delivery station on one side of a railway bed. v

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the car body showing the position of the apparatus therein whereby it may be moved to either the right or left hand side of the car. Fig. 3 is a side view showing the station delivery and, receiving apparatus and the car deliveryand receiving apparatus.

Fig, 4% is an enlarged partial view with parts broken away showingthetmssed hooks; and rings ofthe station and ear deliveryand receiving apparatus.

Fig. 5 is a plan of in Fig the apparatus as shown .4 r f r Referring to the drawings wherein 1926. serial No. 107,001.

like reference characters designate corre spending parts throughout the several views,

5 designates the railway bed and 6 the open door of a conventional type of railway mail car 7. Within the car, there is provided top and bottom guide rails or tracks 8, 9, extend ing between the'opposed side doors whereby the receiving and delivery device and apparatns of thecar may bemoved to either the right or left handxside as indicated by Fig. 2 of the drawing. 2

v A carriage 10. having top and bottom inwardly projecting extensions 11, 12 is attached to suitable plates 13 carrying roll-.

ers 14: operable in the guide rails. or tracks 8, 9 being limited however in'its extreme outward movement by the longitudinally ex- 10 is pivoted to swing on thevertical pins 16 of the top and bottom plates 13 so that it. may "be; swung or turned around while in the car and moved to the opposite door or from the full line to the dotted lineposition shown by Fig. '2 Clamping screws lh hold the carriage when thus set; ,2 1

The guide rails 8, 9and the door guides 15 may be of light channel iron rigidly secured to the body of the car. The carriage 10 has a plate .17 bolted thereto as at 18. The plate 17 is formed withopposed ears 19 'SLIPIDOI't. ing a series of'pins 20 passing through the vertical portion 21 of an arm supporting bracket, buffersprings 22 being held on the pins so that the bracket may have a certain degree of longitudinal movement to: oflset the shock of receiving-a heavy weight being transferred or released therefrom. 23 of thebracket pivotally carry a substantially triangular arm 24, the leg 25 of which is formed with a ringfsupporting member. 26 having a channel27 therein to receive a closed ring 28. Anextension 29 is pivotally connected as at 30 to the ring supporting member, said extension having a depending ear 31 to. which a spring 32 is connected, the opposite end of: the spring being attached to the. leg 25. The spring 32 normally maintains the extension open, the inwardmove ment thereof being limited by the wall of the recess 33 and a stop pin orlug 34 but due to the weight of the hooks 35 to which the closed mail bag r ngsand the mailbags or pouches are suspended, the extension is The ears tending door guide or rail 15 The carriage .7 of mait bags tron-orthero'wer p 7 "37 of the receiving station or platform exceptith t th ss drarm 1s prorlded withicolr-r is I gate or latt ce vvork fi spos tioned"'bysu1r closed. It will also be noted that the extension is also provided with a channel 36 to receive the ring 28 above referred to.

- Consequently when the ring 28 is engaged by the apparatus of the railway car, the release of the weight from the extension 29, will permit-- the mail bags I or pouches car ried by the hooks to be easily removed from the supporting arm without shock or damage. In order to compensate for the air pressure of a swiftly moving train and its apparatus in the path ofthe heavy weight the .simporting iarm andethei: bracket are supported on the pins'and have a slight resilient movement againstthe resistance of the springs 22.

- Having described thetop,triangular supporting arm as carried by the bracket of the railway car, it is not deemedaiecessary"to re 'ieatthe'entire description of the construc i fi s' l f 'SfiPlfi' fiQf iiti lars 38, 39 whereby it may be fastened by screws 40 tothe vertical post 41 0f astandardd2. Y The said also braced by central rib 4L3.

' The receii 'ng station or platform 44 be tween the standards is"braced by t e trusses 45am between the erticalp ts able collars' "47 whereby the mail bags or pouches when delivered will be prevented from swinging around theflrespective supporting post. 7

-The plate 17 of the car [apparatus supports-a receiving arm a8 below-the'deliv- 'ery arm being pivotally mounted thereon in the samemanner. The said arm may consist of a casting in'whichihe top slopes downwardly and inwardly forming a V shaped depression 49 in which the ring of the mail bag slides when engaged by book of the receiving arm. The receiving arm is also braced or trussed by suitable ribs to strengthen the structure, the central portion of said armhaving a flexible element such as a chain 50 attached thereto which acts as a fulcrum.

Pivoted at 5O to the outer end of the receiving arm, I provide an elongated hook 51, having an inclined upper surface with notches 52 thereon to prevent the ring from slipping therefrom when it disengaged from the delivery mechanism or apparatus of the car. The elongated hook 51 156011- ixected to the receiving arm by links 52, 53 pivoted as at 54, said link being in turn attached to the end of a sliding bar 55 of a guide 56. The sliding bar and links 1nain-' tain the elongated hook 51 in its position and at all times parallel to the road bed whereby it may enter the ring 28, by means of a spring 57, said spring being connected to one end of the sliding 'bar and fastened at i P a f r its opposite end to the receiving arm. The tension on the spring draws the sliding bar inwardly so that the connected links are in their extended or aligned position as shown by Fig. 5 of the drawing. i

The receiving arm and its elongate'dhook located at the toppfthe poststloftheplatfornror receiving stationis similar in construction to the lower receiving arm of the car apparatusand consequently it will not be necessary to describe it in its entirety except that itis also provided with top and bot-tom collarsL BS ,"39%whereby it maybe secured to the postal; It will be understood that the position of the delivery arm and receiving arm of the car apparatus and the station platform are just "reversed, that' is to say, the delivery arm of the car apparatus being at'the top cooperates with the top ery arm of:the-stationlplatform.

receivingarm of the station platform and V 'f' he reaming .arn atthefbot om, of, thecar i From the above description, the operation of the mechanismwill bereadily'understood;

Assuming that" the carriage *itO'f'has "been moved to its extreme outerlposition the delivery and receiving arms 'will extendbeyond as shown by diameter of the closed ring 28 9f "th Q tfaml. in th hiqf the t tions r r i sr' ate it a 1. I. ii the height of the receiving arm, the latter will pass through the ring and the momentthe weight is releasedfrom the extension 29, the

spring-32 draws it" open permitting the ring to easily slide up on the hook 51 and down the sloping topto the dotted line position as shown by Fig- 4. At substantially the same time, the car apparatus receiving arm may pass through the r ng on the delivery .arm of the platform or station whereby the mail bag or pouch or a pluralityof bags or pouches -may be transferred tothe said car apparatus. Since "the delivery and receiving arms of the car apparatus are 1 above each other, each co-operatingwith the receiving and delivery arms of the station or platform, no interference results so-that the transferor interchange of themail ban-s,

or pouches may take place at substantially the, same moment. 1 r I v Having shown and described my invention, I new claim as new: f f r 1. A device of the class described comprising a carriage having inwardly projecting extensions, guide rails for said carriage whereby it may be moved toeither side of a railway car, a platesecured to the carriage, a triangular arm 'hingedly connected to said plate, shock resisting means for saidarm, a

hook pivotally connected to the outer end of said arm and interconnectedlinks between said arm and said hook. i 1 p 2. A device of the class described compr1s ing a carriage, guide rails whereby said carriage may be moved to either side of a rail- Way car, a plate secured to the carriage, a receiving arm pivotaily connected to said carriage, said receiving arm consisting of a casting having a V-shaped depression for receivlng a mall bag ring, a notched hook pivotally connected to the outer end of said casting and interconnected links between said arm and said hook.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

HENRY J. HILL. 

